Threaded container spout



` July 23, 1940. P. WITTE 2,269,045

THREADED CONTAINER SPOUT Filed March 16. 1958 INVENTOR. BY Dnc/L Mfrs.

ATTORNEY.

Patented July 23, 1940 PATENT-lorries "rHnEADED ooNTAINER sPoUT PaulWitte,.NeW Milford, N. J., assignor to White I Metals Manufacturing Company,

Hoboken,

N. J., a corporation of New Jersey e Application March 16, 1938, Serial No. 196,162

s c1aims. (c1. 221-5) g My invention relates to a spout for containers suchf'as used for small oil cans or similarnliquid containers or the necks of containers or "tubes for .pastes or semi-solids. Such spouts are'cmmonly `provided with `screwthreads near `their tips onto which smallY internally threaded caps are secured prior to the soldering of the spouts to the containers. Inhandling the'spouts the `caps tend to become loose and unscrew from the tips Aunless they are screwedtightly so as Yto jam theY threads; in which `event it may be diflicult to remove them after the spout has been soldered irposition. L

ypresent 4invention obviates thisand provides -means whereby the caps may be mounted onto the tips of the spouts or the necks of containers and held in position against removal or loosening in handling or treatment, but which permits the caps to be readily unscrewed from the spouts by a twist of the fingers. More specifically, the invention relates to the provision of a soft cementing layer between the threaded surface of the spout tip and the internally threaded surface of the cap so that it is held from removal by the viscosity of the cementitious material, but may be readily unscrewed by applying a force sufficient toovercome the relatively slight viscosity of the cementing material.

The various features of the invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. l shows diagrammatically a mechanism whereby spindles carrying spouts may be brought successively into operative position for rolling screwthreads onto their tip portions.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section at right angles to the axis of the spindle and spout and showing the mechanism for rolling threads onto the tip of the spout.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section in planes at right angles to that of Fig. 2, and taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the tip portion of a spout and a cap as, for example, on line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

1n my invention the spout of a container is rotated on its longitudinal axis, a die wheel having thread cutting grooves is forced against the peripheral surface of the spout at the tip to form screwthreads therein and, at the same time, or in the same operation, a viscous cementing material is coated onto the screwthreads as they are formed. This viscous material may be, for example, a wax such as beeswax, or a composition of waxes such as beeswax or other waxy or viscous materials, which do not set toa solid and which adhere to the metal or material of which the spout and itsfcap are formed. Therefore, when a cap is mounted onto the screwthreadsof thespout, the cementing material not only lls the spaces between the screwthreads of the cap and spout, but forms a thick, viscous or semisolid layer between 4them which seals the spaces until it is entirely unscrewed. Thus, it does not becomeloose and fall oif of the spout by being j'ostled or rubbed against other spouts or caps inasmuch as a shock that partly turns the cap does not appreciably loosen it.

e The cementing or semi-sold material may be `applied to the threads of the spout as the latter are formed or immediately thereafter. Preferably, itis applied by being coatedonto the peripheral` surface of the rolling die so that it adheres to the spout surface and is distributed thereover during the rolling of the threads. The cementing material may be applied to the peripheral surface of the die wheel in any suitable manner as, for example, by having the latter dip into a bath of the cementing material which is kept molten by any suitable heating means. As the die wheel rotates it continuously dips up fresh quantities of the liquid cementing material, carries it to the threads being formed and distributes it thereon asthe thread rolling is completed, whereupon the material will solidify on the threads.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawing the invention is illustrated as applied to a thread rolling machine having a rotatable wheel or disc II] carrying a number of spout supporting and rotating spindles II, each of which carries a spout I2 and is brought successively to a position adjacent a thread rolling die I3. Each spout is brought successively to an operative position relative to the thread rolling die I3 and held there for a limited period of time.

'Ihe thread rolling die I3 is freely rotatable on a trunnion I4 carried on the end of a swinging lever I5 which may be swung manually or by any suitable mechanism to force the grooved peripheral edge of the die wheel I3 against the periphery of the spout I2 near its tip to cut screwthreads Il therein. The mechanismy for swinging the die wheel against the peripheral tip of the spout is known and is, therefore, not illustrated in detail.

Before the periphery of the die Wheel I3 is brought against the tip of the spout it is coated with cementing material to be applied to `the threaded part ofthe spout. For this purpose a bath I8 of molten material is provided in such position that the periphery of the die wheel I3 dips thereinto when it is in its lowermost position as shown in full lines in Fig. 2. The die wheel is thus coated with the molten material and when it is later pressed against the tip I2 it is rotated by the latter, spreading the waxy cementitious material onto the newly cut threads as soon as they are formed. To provide a thinner and easily handled coating for thick, semisolid or so-lid cementing materials, an electric heater I9 is provided immediately below the bath I8 so as to bring the latter to any desired temperature. The bath I8 and heater I9 may be of any suitable type but preferably the bath is of shallow, curved form so as to bring the mass of molten material into the greatest depth immediately below the die Wheel I3. The electric heater I9 may be positioned at any desired place relative to the molten material but is preferably supported in a lower bracket 2B by means of studs 2|.

l The rolling of the threads by the coated die wheel leaves a thin lm of the cementing material on the newly cut threads so that when a cap 22 is threaded thereon the space between the cap threads and the spout threads, as Vshown at l23.in Fig. 4, is filled with the cementing material. Thus the cap can only be removed against the continuously acting and constant friction corresponding to the viscosity of the cementing material so that a jar causing a slight turning of the cap in an unscrewing direction does not loosen it. However, the viscosity of the cementing material does not cause any appreciable resistance to the normal unscrewing action of the ngers in removing the cap. 'Ihe cementing material also forms an air tight seal between the threads of the cap and spout.

It will be apparent that the cementing material may be applied in other ways than that specically described above as, for example, either to the threads of the neck or spout or of the cap, after they have been formed.

What I claim is:

l.. A container spout having external threads near its tip, a closing cap threaded ontov said threaded tip and a lling of permanently viscous non-setting material between said cap and said threads of said tip to seal said spout and provide a limited resistance to removal of said cap.

2. A container spout having external threads near its tip, a cap threaded onto said tip, a filling of non-setting cementitious material comprising beeswax between the threads of said tip and said cap to seal said cap on said tip and provide a limited resistance to removal of said cap.

3. A container spout having external threads near its tip, a closing cap threaded onto said threaded tip, and a coating of yieldable nonsetting solid material between the threads of said tip and said cap, said material having a melting point above normal atmospheric temperatures.

PAUL WITTE. 

